We caught up with the brilliant and insightful TIFFANY WHITE a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

TIFFANY, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.

This is a fantastic question.

Most people think of interior design as decorating residential homes, and the majority of all interior designers are residential designers. However, interior design has many different aspects: residential design, residential staging, new construction, and commercial design. I pursued many avenues within the interior design industry (home staging, new construction, residential and commercial decorating) before finding the lane that fuels my passion; commercial staging.

Commercial staging includes a broad spectrum of interior commercial spaces and environments, including offices, retail stores, restaurants, TV and runway sets, healthcare, hospitality, hotels, restaurants, and other business spaces.

As the designer, I must think about how the brand is portrayed and how they want to be perceived. Commercial staging is all about selling the story. As a commercial staging artist, I combine products, brand strategy, props, lighting, etc., to create individual and emotional customer buying experiences.

TIFFANY, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and raised by she entrepreneurial family with limited funds, self-love, and resources, she learned how to gain her self-confidence by achievement and drive that Tiffany has adopted in her everyday lifestyle as a designer! With her deep caramel melanin, Tiffany rose above the challenge of the small-town mindset, thus fueling her success as a woman, entrepreneur. After working ten years in compliance, Tiffany began working in interior staging while furthering her education at New York’s Institute of Art and Design. Her eccentric style allows her to bring a unique strength to her projects: create detailed designs, spearhead projects, organize installations, and manage challenges to ensure the project moves smoothly through completion. She teaches these concepts as a master commercial design artist to inspire others that it is okay to be demanding in art and vigilant in their plight to success and design-mastery.

The creative and vibrant New Orleans culture heavily influenced her creative style. Her trip to South Africa and Uganda truly cracked open her creativity and developed her passion for design. From the rich history of textile weaving to the timeless art and architecture and color usage, Tiffany’s appreciation for blending patterns, colors, textures, and textiles was cemented.

Tiffany is the founder and CEO (Chief Executive Officer) of Midcity Design Group (a brand that is home to commercial, residential, and home products) she has continuously used her leverage to partner with vendors such as Ferguson, Anteriors, and Z-Gallerie (internationally known design entities). While staying socially and economically conscious by contributing tens of thousands of dollars to teaching design students on how to build their future agencies through her online courses and now the first design conference of its kind.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

Many think I’m new to this industry; however, the truth is I slowly eased into design while working for the Federal Government as a Compliance Investigator. Thirteen years of dedication to the federal government provided a bountiful GS level, allowing me to save the capital needed to start my design business.

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

Yes, my side hustle became my career. As I stated, I began my design company while working full-time as a Compliance Investigator. By day I worked from 6am – 3pm and by night, I went to school online to become an interior designer. Upon finishing my schooling, I started Midcity Decor in New Orleans, LA in 2012. In 2013, my government job transferred me to Houston, Texas where I added another Midcity location and changed the name to Midcity Interiors. In 2020, I join The Standard and the Me By Design mastermind and my business began to flourish with revenue soaring to 6-figures. In January 2021, obtained my first new construction estate project in access of 8,000 square feet and resigned from the federal government to pursue a full-time design career. Given my scope of work changed to designing the exterior of the new construction home, I changed the company name one last time – Midcity Design Group.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://midcitydesigngroup.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/midcitydesigngroup/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/midcitydesigngroup
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/midcitydesigngroup/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/midcity_design

Image Credits
Photo 1: Duke Renders Photo 2: TK Images Photo 3: Mariela HQZ